You have to have the right tools for the job...
...my Father used to tell me this whenever he attempted any DIY project. As I've gotten older I've come to realize this was partially just his excuse for buying new tools. Nevertheless his advice has been echoing through my head since I decided to rebuild the bottom bracket of my Raleigh bike. For those who don’t know, the bottom bracket is part of the frame that holds the bearings and supports the crank.
I've worked on bikes most of my life but have never rebuilt one on an English bike. What I quickly learned after a little research was this particular job on these old vintage English bikes is notoriously difficult. The crank arms are held onto the spindle with a little metal piece called a cotter pin. These little metal pins, once secured don't want to budge which is great for holding everything together but an absolute nightmare when it's time to take things apart. Most people in YouTube instructional videos hammer the hell out of these pins to remove the crank arms and end up damaging their bike (or their fingers) in the process. The fixed cup that holds the drive-side of the bearings in is also usually nearly impossible to remove.
I was extremely lucky to find a metal fabricator, Mark Stonich with BikesmithDesign. It was especially great because Mark lives just a few miles away in Minneapolis. Mark makes the specialized tools pictured above in his workshop.
I won’t bore you with too much detail about the process but the tools worked flawlessly and, although they weren’t cheap, they were well worth the price. The disassembly was done in about twenty minutes, with zero injuries to my digits (or the bike) and far less cursing than there otherwise would have been.
Salt Water Taffy Isn't a Lubricant?
My hunch about needing to do the rebuild was correct. Once it was all torn apart it appeared that it had been decades since any maintenance had been done. It was a true miracle that the bike even pedaled. The old grease on the bearings had solidified to the consistency of salt water taffy (no kidding). I had to soak all the parts in paint thinner overnight and then I scrubbed them with a brush. It took about fifteen minutes of scrubbing to get all of the hardened grease off the metal parts even after soaking overnight.
I'll tackle the reassembly tomorrow or Monday. With any luck this old bike should be reassembled and ready to ride just in time for next week's heat wave. By "heat wave" I mean 60 degrees (F). : )
Each time I work on this bike or ride it I develop a deeper appreciation for how well made things were in decades’ past. The Raleigh is already older than I am by nearly twenty years and with the proper maintenance will be passed down to my nephew (if he wants it) and maybe even handed down to his children. Not bad for a $120 Craigslist find. As an added bonus I have a lifelong excuse to buy new tools.
Thank you for reading,
Eric
*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
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I do like bicycle because it makes moving around very easy and comfortable as well and it is also good for keeping fits when your ride your bike regularly . But you also needs to have the technical ability to repair your bike and right tools and parts in other to fix your bike when it needs to be fixed
Thank goodness for YouTube. I know how to do some of the more basic maintenance but the instructional videos were a huge help for this job.
My husband loves to go on Craigslist to sell things and look for deals.
Even free stuff to get rid of. We set it by road and it goes even quicker if listed on Craiglist.
I agree with you.
It's amazing some of the deals you can find! Sometimes I just browse to see what's out there. I used to sell refurbished vintage watches on there years ago.
It looks like you really love your bike, Eric. I think its very good you have a lot of knowledge about how to care for and repair a bicycle. It will make your bike very comfortable to drive. Have a nice day, Eric.
Cycling has been one of my favorite pastimes since I was a small boy. I hope you have a great weekend!
Excellent review, Eric and you are right, before bicycles did very high quality and repair them easier!
Any Job Is Easier If You Have The Right Tools.
This single line is summary of your article. Good article .
Right said !
We must have the right tools for the job at the right time.
Right tool at the right time makes the job to be performed better.
Love this line that said. Any job is easlier when you have the right tool
Beautiful artilce on cycling . If we have right tools on our jobs then everything would be very easy .
Vehicles tools are very necessary at the time of journey . If we have some tech knowledge about our vehicle then these tools are more beneficial.
nice to use this tool
it seems like this is unique to a bicycle